News Releases

2008 Governor’s School for the Arts session begins Sunday, June 22

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A record number of Kentucky’s best young artists will gather on the Transylvania campus on Sunday to begin the three-week 2008 session of the Governor’s School for the Arts.

The latest GSA class includes 241 rising juniors and seniors from all corners of the Commonwealth, including 15 in a new discipline called “New Media,” which will focus on more recent forms of art communication, including animation, video production, and digital imagery.

The student-artists will receive intense instruction in a total of nine areas. Along with New Media, those disciplines are Architecture, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music.

Educational experience is gained through a variety of daily seminars, master-classes, lectures, hands-on workshops, and field trips to regional arts attractions.

More than 3,500 of the state’s most talented high school artists from 120 counties have attended the 21-year-old GSA summer program following a challenging selection process. Over 1,300 students apply for the program each year for one of the available scholarships valued at over $3,000. Currently, 18 colleges and universities, including Transylvania, offer scholarships to GSA alumni.

The program will culminate on Saturday, July 12 with an all-day festival that celebrates the achievements of the young artists through performances that are open to family and the public.

Corporate and government supporters of the program and the GSA Advisory Board have also been invited to attend the day-long pre-finals rehearsals on Friday, July 11.

Transylvania has hosted the GSA annually since 2000.

“The arrival of the Governor’s School for the Arts on our campus each summer has become an eagerly anticipated event,” said Transylvania president Charles L. Shearer. “The GSA is the focal point of our summer activities. We believe our arts and performance facilities are a perfect match for GSA’s unique and varied needs. And the presence of the students each summer adds an element of richness to our campus through their daily rehearsals and performances.”

Program highlights this year include an all-school African Dance program, an appearance by renowned jazz artist Vince DiMartino, a performance by Flamenco Louisville, and an appearance by the Cincinnati Klezmer Project.

The GSA has also been known to participate in Lexington’s Fourth of July celebration.

The GSA is a public and private partnership inaugurated in 1987 by The Kentucky Center for the Arts, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and private supporters. State funding for the program is provided by the Governor’s Office and the Commerce Cabinet with further support from The Kentucky Center Endowment Fund, Ashland Inc., Toyota Motor Manufacturing, and over 140 corporations, parents, educators, alumni and friends of GSA.

Transylvania does not base employment or academic decisions on a person’s age, race, color, gender, disability or any other criteria prohibited by law. We are committed to providing equal opportunity in employment and education for all.